Hypothetical questions

Meh, I don't know. What I like about the shuffle format is that free shot questions were removed. And while that may result in more people walking away instead of just taking a guess, it puts the focus a bit more on knowledge. That's why I think that the $500,000 stage shouldn't be a milestone question. That way we might get another millionaire sooner, but it to me it would feel a little bit like a cheated win, like they're trying too hard to have someone win the million.
Taking away the $25,000 safety net, on the other hand, is a step too far in the other direction I'd say. It would make people even more cautious. They might waste the additional lifeline on a question they know, but are too afraid to go for.
And adjusting the money to the difficulty...well, then it's not really SHUFFLE millionaire anymore, is it? I mean, it's nice that the harder questions are worth a lot and could come before the easier ones, but if they can't answer the question it doesn't really matter when it comes up.